Saturday, November 30, 2013

Squirrel's Fun Day by Lisa Moser and Valeri Gorbachev. What's "fun" for one may not be for another. Ever have an
exhausting friend? Prepare to laugh-out-loud as Squirrel's unbridled mania is
unleashed upon his more mild companions. Gorbachev's lovely, line-y illustrations
are always classic and delightful. Recommended by The PlanetEsme Plan. Link for information; please support your local independent bookseller.

Friday, November 29, 2013

Eat Like a Bear by April Pulley Sayre and Steve Jenkins. Beautiful
descriptive writing allows the reader to vicariously put on the scruffly fur
and scavenge in the spring. Great read-aloud accented with dramatic cut-paper
pictures. Recommended by The PlanetEsme Plan. Link for information, please support your local independent bookseller.

Thursday, November 28, 2013

Henri's Scissors by Jeanette Winter. A bittersweet portrait of the
artist at the end of his life, with a vibrancy that does the subject
proud...but beyond the biographical aspects of the book, it's a wonderful story
of how being sick or aged does not put an end to what is useful, or beautiful.
Trés bien. Recommended by The PlanetEsme Plan.Link for information, please support your local independent bookseller.

Monday, November 25, 2013

No Fits, Nilson! by Zachariah OHora. Who doesn't like a good
tantrum...especially when Nilson takes the blame? Fun pictures lighten the
theme of having to negotiate with terrorists. Recommended by The PlanetEsme
Plan. Link for information; please support your local independent bookseller.

Thursday, November 21, 2013

The Greatest Dinosaur Ever by Brenda Z. Guiberson and Gennady Spirin. What is a
dinosaur if not superlative? Many multisyllabic monsters vie for first place,
with simple descriptions making each one's case (and pronunciation on each
page, which REALLY makes this book the greatest). Each realistic double-page
spread has an odd, magical depth that draws in the reader most alarmingly. Hope
you like teeth. Recommended by The PlanetEsme Plan. Link for information, please support your local independent bookseller.

Sunday, November 17, 2013

I Wish I Had... by Giovanna Zoboli and Simona Mulazzani. This book is like
a magic trick that puts you in the skin of wild animals, and promotes an attitude of gratitude. A wish come true!
Recommended by The PlanetEsme Plan. Link for information; please support your local independent bookseller.

Friday, November 15, 2013

Mr. Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown. There's a place for being proper.
And this book is not it. Recommended by The PlanetEsme Plan. Link for information, please support your local independent bookseller.

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson. Watch as you tap, blow, shake or clap around this book:
leaves bloom, or blossom, or tumble away in the autumn breeze. A gimmick a la
Hervé Tullet's Press Here, but a well-placed one, and one that will enchant
young children. Recommended by The PlanetEsme Plan. Link for information, please support your local independent bookseller.

Sophie's Squash by Pat Zietlow Miller and Anne Wilsdorf. Girl finds a
suitable pet at the farmer's market. Love the earnest heroine and the
expressive illustrations! A great read-aloud. Recommended by The PlanetEsme
Plan. Link for information; please support your local independent bookseller.

Grumpy Goat by Brett Helquist. "Goat had never had a single friend
in his life. He didn't want one now." That is, until the nurturing of a
dandelion rallies the barnyard around him. An old-fashioned story of abundance
vs. scarcity, and one Roger Duvoisin or maybe The Little Prince would be proud
of. Recommended by The PlanetEsme Plan. Link for information, please support your local independent bookseller.

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Africa Is My Home: A Child of the Amistad by Monica Edinger and Robert Byrd. An illustrated book for older children based on a true story, we follow
the struggles of a young girl on board a slave ship, to her hard-won freedom
and the return to her homeland, where she becomes a teacher. Beautifully detailed
art (and plenty of it) uses a palette that changes with the narrative mood. A
very special book and a very important story. Recommended by The PlanetEsme
Plan. Link for information, please support your local independent bookseller.

Sunday, November 10, 2013

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein. A gifted game designer has trapped some resourceful readers in a library, and a dozen players have twenty-four hours to find the exit and win the prize of a lifetime. All right, not a picture book, but a pleasure for puzzlers and a suspenseful must-recommend read-aloud for all library-loving friends! Recommended by The PlanetEsme Plan. Link for information, please support your local independent bookseller.

Friday, November 08, 2013

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The Mighty Lalouche by Matthew Olshan, illustrated by Sophie Blackall. A
gentle Parisian postman's circumstances put him into the boxer's corner, where
the underdog takes the day. Oh la la, the elegance of these illustrations
certainly pack a punch. Based on a true story, with an illuminating author's
note and fascinating endpaper portraits of past pugilists. Recommended by The
PlanetEsme Plan. Link for information, please support your local independent bookseller.

Wednesday, November 06, 2013

Carnivores by Aaron Reynolds and Dan Santat. Lion, Great
White Shark and Wolf are tired of their bad rap as villains of the food
chain...but old menus die hard. Wicked and hilarious. Recommended by The
PlanetEsme Plan. Link for information; please support your local independent bookseller.

Saturday, November 02, 2013

Battle Bunny by Jon Scieszka and Mac Barnett, illustrated by Matthew Meyers. When Alexander gets a saccharine book for his birthday, he wields a
pencil and starts making some hard-core revisions to the text until they suit
his more action-packed taste. A subversive and clever book that will be an
elementary teacher's dream come true for introducing the effects of word choice
and the editing process. Recommended by The PlanetEsme Plan. Link for information, please support your local independent bookseller.

Friday, November 01, 2013

The Tiny King by Taro Miura. So visually sharp, with a retro sensibility and a story so very
sweet. You'll cheer big for the Tiny King's win over loneliness! Recommended by The PlanetEsme Plan. Link for information, please support your local independent bookseller.

About Me

Welcome to the Wonderful World of PlanetEsme! I'm a professional readiologist™ who thinks children's trade literature and read-aloud is our best hope for equalizing education in America. I hope this book-a-day plan will be a boon to anyone who would like to play a supporting character in a child's reading life story. This blog is a supporting page to sister site PlanetEsme.com, where you will find a silly amount of additional reviews, thematic lists, links, and much more...everything you need to become an expert in children's literature.

PlanetEsme Classic Archive (1999-2005)

Disclaimer: Due to FTC regulations, please presume that any book reviewed on this site was purchased by PlanetEsme.com for consideration for review, or sent by the author or publisher to PlanetEsme.com as a complimentary copy for consideration for review without obligation.